The Discovery Channel Tests Jet Disasters With 727

What happens when an airliner makes a crash-landing on solid ground, like, in a desert, for instance? Is it a survivable outcome? These are the kinds of questions the creative team from The Discovery Channel asked when they crashed a 727 in Mexican desert.

As you can see in the lead video, the plane in question was piloted to the area where the crash took place, and then, after the pilot ejected out, the 727 remotely crashed into the desert while camera crews and trailing helicopter looked on. According to the Daily Mail, the results of the crash reveal that while incredibly destructive, experts believe some passengers could survive such a dramatic impact. Other details reveal:

The experiment was designed for scientists to study the crash-worthiness of the aircraft’s airframe and cabin as well as the impact of crashes on the human body.

To facilitate the study on the human body, crash test dummies were used during the controlled crash, which is still disconcerting, even if you are already aware of the conditions under which the staged disaster took place. Seeing a plane crash is always a dramatic moment, and the 727 in question is no different. For those who are wondering what happened to the crash site after the plane went down, fear not, the debris will be removed from the area when the experiment is complete:

Following the crash, the aircraft will be salvaged and an extensive environmental clean-up operation is being carried out by a reputable agency with the full co-operation of the Mexican authorities.

As you can tell from the video’s unfortunate presentation, this isn’t the footage Channel 4/Discovery will be using. In fact, the video was taken by an amateur not related to the experiment. Unfortunately, that designation did not save them from the usual YouTube ridicule a video receives whenever the production value falls below Spielberg’s standards. The lead comment reveals as much: